Nut driving tool



Jan. 13, 1970 C W HAUENSTEiN ET AL 3,489,041

NUT DRIVING TOOL Filed Aug. l5, 1967 vm om Nm TOE wm .VN

INVENTORS.

mi@ C D MGI ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent O 3,489,041 NUT DRIVING TOOL Carroll W. Hauenstein, Zion, and Dale R. Lewis, Kenosha, Ill., assgnors to Warwick Electronics Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 660,707 Int. Cl. B25b 13/02 U.S. Cl. 81-90 6 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A tool for driving a nut on a socket-like threaded stud characterized in that the tool has a nut supporting member axially movable in the bore of the tool, the nut supporting member having a protruding plunger for seating in the socket-like stud and for carrying the nut into initial contact with the stud, retraction of the plunger relative to the bore permitting threading of the nut on the stud by rotation of the tool.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to Idriving means for fasteners and more particularly for a tool for supporting and driving a nut onto a socket-like threaded stud.

Description of the prior art Numerous types of tools have been developed for holding a fastening element in engagement with the tool to drive the fastener into or onto a threaded surface. These tools which have been developed include the type evidenced by the Brown Patent No. 2,63 0,036; Clark Patent Patent No. 2,714,829; and Williams Patent No. 2,782,823, all of which have a socket-like end for receiving a threaded fastener and a magnetized area for holding the threaded fastener in the socket-like end.

The patent to C. T. Brown No. 2,753,747 and the patent to Hubbard No. 2,798,394 show a socket wrench wherein a spring is used to hold a nut or bolt in a socket at the free end of the tool. Clark Patent No. 3,288,185 shows a screw driver reciprocally mounted in the bore of a tool, the bore being constructed and arranged to receive a threaded fastening element and hold the same therein so that engagement with the screw driver may be easily accomplished.

None of the structures known to the applicant is satisfactory for holding and driving a nut on a socket-like stud. A typical example of this type of structure is an earphone jack which may be located in a recess in the housing of a wave signal receiver, such as a radio or a television set. The nal assembly of the jack in the recess sometimes requires the threading of a nut on the jack to positively hold the same on the housing. Thus a need has developed for a satisfactory tool for accomplishing this purpose. f

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is directed, in brief, to the provision of a tool for driving a nut onto a socket-like stud, for example, an earphone jack which may be located in a recess in the housing of a wave-signal receiver. The tool is characterized by a plunger reciprocally mounted in a bore in the body of the tool, the free end of the plunger having a protrusion constructed and arranged to be received within the socket of the stud for initially registering the t-ool relative to the stud. A portion of the protrusion is further constructed and arranged to hold a nut thereon, and axial movement of the plunger inwardly of the bore of the tool against a spring resistance moves the nut against driving surfaces on the tool for threading the nut rice onto the exterior of the socket-like stud. The free end of the body adjacent the bore is adapted to impart rotational motion to the nut responsive to the same motion being imparted to the tool.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION -OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a side elevational View, partially broken away in section, of the tool of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevational view of the nut supporting end of the tool of this invention;

FIGURE 3 is amend elevational view of the tool engaging end of the tool of this invention;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of the leading portion of the tool of this invention; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view, partially broken away in section, showing the tool in use applying an integrally threaded nut to the threaded exterior of a hollow stud which forms a part of an earphone jack for fastening the earphone jack assembly to a housing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The nut driver 10 of this invention is intended for use in driving a nut 12 having a threaded interior 12a (FIG. 5) onto a socket-like stud 14 which may be located in a recess 16 (FIG. 5) of a housing 18 (FIG. 5), such as the housing of a wave-signal receiver, for example, a television set or radio. The stud 14 may be part of the commonly known earphone jack assembly for such receivers and has a hollow interior 14a and a threaded exterior 14b. Commonly such earphone jack assemblies are secured to the wall 18a of a wave signal receiver housing by extending the stud portion 14 thereof through opening 18b and threading a nut 12 on the portion of stud 14 which projects outwardly from the wall 18a.

The driver 10 includes a generally elongate cylindrical body 20 having a cylindrical bore 22 which opens at one end 23 of the body. Spaced ribs 24 extend axially outwardly from the body adjacent the open or free end 22a of bore 22. Preferably bore end 22a is slightly larger than the crest diameter of stud 14 so that ribs 24 can freely extend over the stud. Opposite aligned slots 26 are provided in the side walls of the body opening into bore 22.

Nut supporting member or plunger 28 is slidably received in bore 22 and has a -pin hole 30 therethrough for receiving a pin 32 -which also extends through slots 26, thereby mounting plunger 28 for limited reciprocal movement in bore 22. Plunger 28 includes a bore portion 34 which generally mates with the bore 22 and a reduced end 36 which provides a means for supporting a nut and registering the same relative to a socket-like stud 14. Reduced end 36 includes first nut holding portion 36a and second socket registering portions 36h separated by shoulder 37. Portion 36a is generally of a size and shape to matingly impale the interior of a nut 12 thereon and portion 361; is generally of a size and shape to matingly home in socket 14a. Preferably portion 36a is longer than the thickness of nut 12 so that in initially registering portion 3611 in the socket 14a, the abutment of shoulder 37 with the end of stud 14 will hold nut 14 away from engagement with threaded exterior 1417. A spring 38 is interposed in the bore behind the plunger 28 and normally urges the same outwardly of the bore, the pin and slot arrangement 32 and 26 holding the plunger against dislodgement from the bore as well as limiting the retraction of the plunger inwardly of the bore in opposition to the urging of the spring.

The tool is provided with a tool gripping end 40 (FIG. l) including a hexagonal head 42 and a hexagonal socket 44, both of which are shaped for engagement with a suitable driving tool which may lbe usde to assist in driving tool 10, .suchas van air gun, a socket Yheadscrew crean-f At this point, nut 1-2 is properly aligned for threaded engagement with exterior 14bof stud 14. Tool 10 is then depresed orpushed axially forwardly against spring 33 so that the body'20 moves relative to stud 14 and plunger 28. This causes axialv displacement of nut 12 to a position immediately adjacent stud 14. With the tool and nut in this position, rotation of the tool will rotate nut 12 to thread the same on the exterior 14b of the stud.

It is to be understood that instead of having ribs 24, thev end of the tool body could be provided with other means for engaging the face of the nut and rotating the same responsive to rotation of the tool. For example, the open end could be serrated or coated with a substance having a high coefficient of friction with the face of the nut.

The tool of this invention is an extremely convenient aid in locking washer-like fasteners on hollow, exteriorly threaded 'studs in that the portion 36b centers the nut carried on portion 36a once portion 36b is inserted .in the interior 14a. This may 'be done from a substantially remote distance of from four to ve inches by using the tool in a probing fashion. This is especially convenient where the stud 14 is located in a recess area which is often the case with wave signal receiver housings. Once the end is located, the relative axial movement of the tool conditions the nut for threading on to the stud. Conversely2 if it is desired to remove a nut from such a stud, the procedure is reversed. Thus, the tool is useful not only as an assembly tool, but also for use by repairmen in disassembling or repairing wave signal receivers.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as some modifications may be obviou-s to those skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. A tool for applying a ring-like fastener to the exterior of a stud having an outwardly facing hollow interior, comprising: a body having means at one end thereof for engaging a fastener; a plunger movably mounted in the body, the plunger having a first portion extending outwardly of the one end of the body for supporting a fastener; and a second reduced portion extending outwardly of the first portion, a shoulder formed between said first and second portions for limiting the extent of "axial= insertionbf --said' plunger -into;`the interior *of --the stud, the second portion being of a size and shape to be received in the interior of the stud for registering the tool relative to the stud and positioning the fastener for movement onto the stud whereby movement of the plunger relative to the body and engagement of the fastenerby the one endof the body will drive the fastener onto the stud.

2. The tool of claim '.1 wherein. the -distance that the rst portions extend outwardlyl from the body is greater than `the thickness of the fastener.

The tool of claim 1 wherein the exterior: of the first portion generally mates with. the interior of the fastener with which the tool is intended to be used.

4. The tool of claim 1 wherein the' second portion exterior generally mates with hollow interior of the stud with which the tool is intended to be used.

5. A driving tool for use in threading an internally threaded nut onto the threaded exterior of a hollow stud, comprising: a body having-'a hollow interior opening outwardly at one end of the body, said body also having means at said one end for rotating'a nut; a plunger slidably mounted in the body, the plunger including a rst portion normally positioned exteriorly of the body, the first portion generally being of`a size and shape to receive the interior of a nut thereon, and a second portion facing outwardly of said first portion, said second portion being generally of a size and shape to engage the interior of the stud, whereby a nut positioned on the irstl portion may be guided into proper position for initiation of threaded engagement with the stud by homing the second portion in the hollow interior of the stud and the nut may be threaded thereon by axially moving the body relative to the plunger and rotating the tool lso that the one end'of the body will rotatably drive the nut on the threaded exterior of the stud.

6. The tool of claim 5 wherein the hollow interior of the body adjacent the plunger is slightly larger than the crest diameter of the exterior of the stud. with which the tool is intended to be used.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 847,774 3/1907 Hoffman 145-50 1,458,956 6/1923 Sayer 8l-90.5 1,633,297 6/1927 Vibber 8l-90.6 1,793,477 2/1931 German et al. 8l-90.6

JAMES L. JONES, JR., Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. l81---l25; 145-51 

